The poor plight of the people

– Thinakkural Editorial

(September 06, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) We have a government that has no will to stop the increasing cost of living. The government gives excuses for the increase and is only interested in appointing committees to end ways and means of reducing the cost of living. But, nothing has happened.

There has been a chain of price hikes ranging from food commodities to gas and even service charges. People wake up each day only wondering which price will go up any moment.

The government boasts that it has undertaken development programmes while fighting the war. Earlier, we used to say that politicians will talk of cost of living only during lection times. But, now, they do not talk of cost of living even during polls campaign.

During the recent polls for two provincial councils, the ruling party was victorious. It is their contention that people are supportive of their programmes of work and that the people have given a mandate to the government for their military operations in the north. They maintain that the people are prepared to tighten their belt and hear the economic burden until the war is won.

But, really speaking the economic burden on the masses is such that they will have to go to streets and agitate. The JVP and the UNP hold rallies and condemn the government.

But, they have no political strategies to exert pressure on the government to formulate plans to bring down the cost of living and implement them.

(An English translation of the Editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo.) - Sri Lanka Guardian